Persona: Shattered Nightmares
by bamafelix
Summary: What lies beyond light...darkness. What lies beyond dreams...nightmares. This is the story of Shin Katsuragi, a young boy who moved to the small town of Aomura. With the power of Persona and many allies he'll make along the way, he must uncover the dark truth behind the strange, nightmarish world known as "Wonderland" before it's too late...The death toll rises...
1. Prologue: Velvet Room and Train Rides

****A/N:**** HEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I sincerely hope you all enjoy this attempt of an OC Persona story! I've worked really hard on it with the help of Dreadburner94 who is one of the greatest OC story writers ever!

This story is set in the fictional town of Aomura. This is indeed an SYOC fic. Shortly after posting this chapter, I will post the OC format on my profile page. The number of OC's I'll be accepting is...9. Nine is the maximum. Also, ONE of those has to be a sensory-type Persona-user. Like Rise or Fuuka, you know? I will also accept people for Social Link characters. Be sure to send them through PM only. I won't accept OC's in the review box.

Remember! I'll only accept one character for each Arcana. So there won't be any Persona-users on the team that have the same Arcana.

...Anything else I'm forgetting to add...?

Oh yes! I know some of you may complain "Where's Persona: Light and Dark?" or something like that. The answer: That story is dead. If you want to know how it ends and all of the secrets, PM me and I shall reveal all. Otherwise, it's up to your own imagination unless I ever get the motivation to rewrite it.

Anywho~

Time to start Persona: Shattered Nightmares!

****Credits:****

****Shin Katsuragi – bamafelix****

****Haru Katsuragi – bamafelix****

****Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING except my OWN OC's and this unique plot...at least, I hope it's unique.****

****Sooooo~ ON WITH THE STORY~!****

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Prologue:<strong>**

****Velvet Room and Train Rides****

_Dreams, Nightmares, Reality... Forever intwined by fate..._

_You, who seeks enlightenment, go forth... No matter what awaits...Do not stray..._

_Yet be wary, let not fear consume you... Let your hope be your guide..._

Shin's first thought after opening his eyes: _Blue._

Not just any blue. VELVET blue. That was the color of the room that he was in. It was completely unfamiliar to him, but at least he knew the color. That way he could identify it when he got to the nearest police station and reported his own kidnapping.

Shin also noted how rather extravagent it was compared to the train he knew he had been on when he had fallen asleep. Not to mention that this certainly was a train, but rather...He honestly had no idea where he was in. He was sitting in a chair facing a man sitting on the opposite side of the table in front of him, said man possessing bulging, bloodshot eyes, pointed ears, and an abnormally long nose. He wore an expensive black suit and white silk gloves.

Shin bit his lower lip when he gazed upon the man's abnormally large nose. It was almost funny in a way...that's why he was trying to keep his mouth shut...he was HORRIBLY impulsive when it came to such things.

_OK, Shin. Don't mention his nose._

The man smiled widely upon noticing Shin's gaze upon him. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Shin started trembling.

_I mean it, Shin. Do not mention the man's nose! DO NOT!_

"My name is Igor," The man said, introducing himself. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

_Don't mention his nose. Don't mention his nose. Don't mention his nose. DO NOT mention his nose!_

"This place exists between dreams and reality, mind and matter."

Shin was sweating bullets as his lip started to bleed as he bit on it.

_DON'T MENTION HIS NOSE! DON'T MENTION HIS NOSE! DON'T MENTION HIS-_

"You have a very long nose, sir."

Shin's own jaw dropped at the words that came from his own mouth.

The man, Igor, seemed to hunch over slightly, his eyes closing halfway.

Shin flinched, realizing he screwed up completely. He chuckled awkwardly.

"Hehehe, sorry." He bowed his head, not facing Igor. "I am VERY very sorry. Erm...wanna hit the rewind and start from the beginning? It WAS a really nice introduction speech...hehehe..."

In a strange place with no idea what was going on...not the best time to piss off complete strangers who may possibly be your kidnappers.

Igor closed his eyes for several seconds, leaving Shin afraid that he was building up for a big explosion.

Instead-

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor greeted yet again as if it was the first time. "My name is Igor. Delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dreams and-"

"ARE WE ON A FERRIS WHEEL!?" Shin shouted excitedly, running over to the large, glass window to his left. His eyes were sparkling. He knew they were moving, but the direction in which they were moving (sort of like forward and upward) felt somewhat reminiscent of a Ferris Wheel, one of his favorite rides at an amusement park. "I LOOOOVE Ferris Wheels!"

Outside the window, he saw the outer edge of the very machine he had assumed they were riding. He could make out the frame of the wheel and the fact they were in an abnormally large cabin on one, but other than that, he couldn't really see anything other than a large, empty space.

"Whoa...kind of bumming me out with this scenery..." Shin noted, a hint of depression in his voice. He then blinked, remembering what he had been doing moments earlier. He quickly returned to his seat and sat silently in front of Igor, whose expression made it difficult to tell whether he was amused, annoyed, angry, or what.

"-reality, mind and matter." Igor continued, ignoring Shin's interruptions. Shin never would've remembered where he left off speaking after such a long period of interruption. "It is a room where only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter. It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now then, my dear young man, why don't you introduce yourself?"

Shin, smiling brightly, stood up and raised one hand high in the air.

"My name is Katsuragi Shin! I'm 16 and I like Ferris Wheels and chocolate candy! Doesn't matter what shape or size, I LOOOOOVE CHOCOLAAAAAAAAATE!"

Shin was willing to scream about his love for chocolate from the rooftop of the tallest building in the world if he had to.

Shin sat back down, his hands respectfully in his lap.

Now Shin was positively sure that the old man was amused. With a wave of Igor's hand, a sheet of paper materialized on the table in front of Shin along with an ink well and a feathery quill.

_Ooooh! Magic! I wonder if he can pull a bunny rabbit from his sleevelike a magician! That would be so COOOOL!_

Shin looked down at the paper and read it: "I chooseth this fate of my own free will."Shin tapped his chin pensively, examining the piece of paper. "Erm...I don't know...Haru-nee always told me not to agree to things if I don't know what I'm agreeing to..."

After thinking about it for a few seconds, this is the conclusion Shin came to:

_Well...He's a magician. Nobody ever said "Never trust a magician" I don't think. What harm could it do?_

Without further thought, Shin took the quill dipped in ink and signed his name along the dotted line on the contract.

"Excellent," Igor said, still smiling. With another wave of his hand, the paper, ink well, and quill vanished. "As of now, you shall be a guest of the Velvet Room. Now tell me, do you believe in fortune telling?"

Shin nodded. "Yeah! Well, in all honesty, it depends on the skill of the fortune teller. I'll believe it depending on the person who divines the future!" Shin frowned, seeming slightly sad. "...but in all honesty, I've never had my fortune read."

If anything, Igor's smile widened at this. "Then allow me to be the first who divines your fate."

With yet another wave of his magician hands, Igor made a deck of tarot cards materialize on the table.

Shin watched, entranced, as Igor moved the cards just by waving his hand over them, willing them into position and flipping them face-up one at a time before stopping.

Igor read the cards that held vague meanings to Shin.

"Interesting..." Igor stated after several minutes of silence. "You have a difficult road before you. You may pass by the very gates of Hell before you can find the light which you seek. If you aren't careful, you may lose something important. A grim trial awaits once you reach your destination. Only with your power can they be overcome..."

Shin frowned. "I don't understand..."

Igor's smile gained a more vague meaning. "It is my duty to provide assistance to guests to aid in their journey."

"What 'journey'?"

"We shall attend to the details another time. Time moves forward in your world, so I shouldn't keep you much longer. Next time, I will be sure to introduce you to my assistant and another..._unique_ guest." Igor said 'unique' like it had several meanings, all of them interesting. Igor bowed his head. "Until then...farewell."

Shin wanted to say something like "What?", but then his vision became hazy and the world around him vanished into darkness.

* * *

><p>When Shin opened his eyes again, he saw not the blue cabin of a Ferris Wheel but rather the train cabin he remembered falling asleep in. He looked at himself and assured himself that he looked exactly the same as before.<p>

He was a sixteen-year-old boy of about average height and weight with black hair, slightly pulled back on one side, and green eyes. His hair was very ruffled at his forehead, dividing into multiple other strands, and it is clipped back. stylishly with hairclips. Shin wore his special red scarf wrapped around his neck , a black, long-sleeved shirt, white cargo pants, and sneakers as he sat in his seat, looking around.

He blinked, gathering his thoughts. "Well..." He wasn't quite sure how to describe the experience.

He thought it could be described as mysterious or cool, but most of all, it was strange. Just plain strange. It had felt so real.

"Pooooooooooooooke~" The owner of the cheerful voice who spoke playfulling poked Shin in the stomach with her index finger.

Shin let out a small giggle, playfully smacking the hand away. "Stop that, Haru-nee."

My beloved cousin, Haru Katsuragi (AKA: Haru-nee), grinned.

Haru was an admittedly attractive woman of about 25 years. Like Shin, she had green eyes and shoulder-length hair that was tied back in a pony tail and DYED blue...Haru always dyed her hair like that for some reason that Shin was unable to figure out. Haru was about 6 feet tall and about average weight with a SLIGHTLY larger than average bust. She wore a red, long-sleeved shirt and a black vest along with sweatpants and sandals.

Why Shin was taking all of this in, he had no idea. It's not like this is the first time he had seen his cousin.

"About time you woke up, lazy bum." Haru teased. "We're almost-"

_"We will soon be arriving at Aomura Station. Please return to your seats."_ A voiceon the intercom interrupted whatever Haru was going to say.

Haru pointed at the speaker, nodding. "Exactly. You've been asleep for most of the trip."

"Have I?" Shin questioned.

Shin was still somewhat unadjusted to the fact that he and Haru, who was his legal guardian, were moving to the town called Aomura. The reason: Haru got a pretty good job offer there and they did indeed require funds in order to live as humans.

Shin smiled awkwardly. "Sorry. I just had this really weird dream."

"Oh?" Haru said with an interested expression on her face. "What about?"

"Well...Pretty much, I was in, like, this room! But it wasn't just a room! It was a FERRIS WHEEL CABIN! And it was a velvet blue color! And-And there was this magician guy with an abnormally large nose and who could make paper, ink, quills, and cards appear out of nowhere and disappear! And he was saying all of this stuff about fortune telling and was all like "You have a dangerous path ahead of you" like some kind of fortune cookie or something!...IT WAS SO FREAKING AWESOOOOME!" Shin had jumped out of his seat and threw his fists excitedly into the air. He then turned and grinned. "Maybe it's one of those occult dreams some people get that fortells the future!"

Haru clutched her sides, laughing. "Hahahahaha!" The kept on snorting every time she tried to stop. After several minutes, she managed to gain better control of herself and faced Shin. "The only thing _occult_ here is how weird you are!"

Shin laughed as well. "Look who's talking!"

The two sibling-like cousins continued laughing uncontrollably. While Shin took a long time to stop laughing, he felt it was strange how he didn't miss the single creature floating outside of the window...

_...a blue butterfly._

* * *

><p><strong><strong>AN******: **And it is done! I hope all of you enjoyed this! This is the prologue of Persona: Shattered Nightmares!

Also, I'm now only accepting eight OC's, one of those needing to be a sensory Persona-user as I've already accepted an OC.

As usual, the OC form is on my profile page~! I'll be posting it shortly after posting this chapter, so please be patient~!

Thank you for the reads and reviews~!

Say-o-na-raaaaaaaa~!


	2. Chapter 1: First Day

****A/N:**** HEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

As of now, there are only seven positions open on the good guys' team. Only five more Persona-user positions. Also, it's not a requirement, but I could use more female Persona-users. I would also prefer that you include a detailed social link or the general point or the trial the protagonist helps the person overcome.

Anywho~

Time to start Persona: Shattered Nightmares!

****Credits:****

****Shin Katsuragi – bamafelix****

****Kenji Takamura - ****DarkLord98****

****Akane Yukimura – Dreadburner94****

****Kaguya Nakamura - DemonsAnarchy****

****Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING except my OWN OC's and this unique plot...at least, I hope it's unique.****

****Sooooo~ ON WITH THE STORY~!****

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Chapter 1:<strong>**

****First Day!****

****4/11/10****

It had taken several days, but Shin and Haru finally settled into their new home. It was a simple yet spacious house with two floors. They moved and still had a few bags to unpack, but they could start getting to know their new neighborhood...Now only one thing remained:

School.

_Yes_, Shin thought to himself as he walked out of the house wearing the student uniform of Shigemura High School, the primary source of education in the town of Aomura, which consisted of a dark-blue blazer jacket with black slacks. As usual, he wore his scarf. _Haru-nee said I had to get enrolled before too much time had passed so I don't end up behind at the beginning of the year..._

Shin was somewhat excited. New school meant new friends! Of course he would always miss the ones he left behind before he and Haru moved, but they would always be together through the bonds that tied them together.

Now Shin just had to get to school...

Only one problem though...

"AAAAH! WHICH WAY AM I SUPPOSED TO GOOOOOOOOO!?" Shin had been standing at a four-way crossroad for the past fifteen minutes, having recently realized he never asked Haru for specific directions on how to reach Shigemura High. She had simply said it was south of their new house. Shin grabbed the sides of his head, pulling on his hair. "Man, I'm so gonna be late! This is NOT how to make a good first impression! Where am I supposed to goooo?!"

Shin was anything if not punctual. Being late was like dying a little on the inside for him.

All sorts of horrible outrageously-worst-case-scenarios were running through his little mind.

Being labelled as a deliqnuent, being kicked out of school and thrown in prison, OR WORST OF ALL: being banned from chocolate foreveeeeeeer!

Shin nervously ran in place, trying to figure out which of the three paths open to him he was supposed to travel down.

"What do I do?! What do I do?! What DO I DOOOOO!?"

"Ohayo~"

"EEEK!" Shin jumped a foot into the air at the sudden an unexpected voice, squeaking like a mouse out of surprise.

He jumped away from the source of the voice that appeared suddenly beside him.

Shin calmed immediately upon establishing that said person was, in-fact, a student like himself. He also noted something else before he returned to his normal stance.

"Oh, it's a girl." Shin noted.

Said girl placed her hands on her hips, pouting in a way that could only be "adorable". "Yes. 'A girl'."

She was an older girl who stood at 5'7" with a thin build and an admittedly above average-sized bust and thin waist. She had pale skin and long, dark red hair that was tied up in a long and wavy, high ponytail while her bangs are parted to the left. She had dark blue eyes with long eyelashes and had a small scar on her jaw to the left of her mouth. She wore what Shin recognized as the girl's student uniform of Shigemura High School which was a typical sailor uniform, although she wore a pair of brown gloves with it and a yellow band around her upper left arm that read "Student Council". Perhaps the most notable thing about her appearance were the white bandages wrapped firmly around her wrists to lower arms.

Shin chuckled. "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting to bump into anybody. I'm learning the lay of the land and I'm having trouble finding out where the school is. You go there too, right, Senpai?" Shin could only assume that this girl was in her second or third year due to her age.

The older girl smiled."Yep! My name is Yukimura Akane, a third year at Shigemura High School and Treasurer of the Student Council." She said this with a somewhat humorous thumbs-up pose.

"Ah! Very nice to meet you, Yukimura-senpai!" Shin bowed respectfully to his senior. He then saluted energetically, grinning brightly. "The name's Katsuragi Shin and I'm a first year starting at Shigemura!" Shin rubbed the back of his neck. "I would've started school earlier, but you see, me and my cousin just moved here from the city and-"

"Oh!" Akane interrupted, snapping her fingers with realization. "So you and your cousin were the ones who moved next door." She then turned towards Shin. "I live in the house next door to the one you moved into. Makes sense how we ended up on the same path to school."

Shin blinked, having remembered his previous situation. Mentally, he started panicking again.

"Speaking of which, which way was that again?" Shin asked, nervously twiddling his fingers.

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't know the way to Shigemura since you just moved here." Akane placed a hand on her chin. She then continued walking, gesturing Shin to follow. "Well, I wouldn't be much of a senpai if I didn't at least show my new kouhai the way to school. Come on!"

Shin stared at her for several seconds.

"THANK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!" Shin suddenly tackled Akane from behind, wrapping his arms around her in a surprise hug. "Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you! Bless your kind soul, senpaaaaaaaai!" Shin buried his face into Akane's back, crying tears of joy.

"E-Eh!?" Akane almost fell over from surprise before turning, trying to carefully pull Shin from her body. "O-OK OK! It's no big deal!"

"THANK YOOOU, SENPAAAAAAAAAAAAI!"

WHEEEEEEE-YOOOOOOOOOOO!

While Shin hugged his senpai, he couldn't help but turn his head to stare at the passing by ambulance.

Something about it...whatever it was...

_...It gave Shin a bad feeling._

* * *

><p>It took at least ten minutes and a ACTUAL CROWBAR to wrench Shin from Akane and then another ten for her to lead Shin to school.<p>

Shin stood in front of the school gate and marveled at his new high school.

"Welcome to Shigemura High School." Akane said, gesturing to the group of four school buildings that currently had teenagers wearing the school uniform pouring in, some of them in groups and speaking to one another.

"Hey! Did you guys see that ambulance that passed the main street ten minutes ago?"

"Yeah! I heard it was Takumi-kun...Do you think it was that curse?"

"Might be...Takumi DID say he's been having trouble sleeping lately..."

""Wonderland's" taken another victim I guess..."

"Poor Takumi..."

Shin frowned as the students who were talking casually continued walking away.

He turned towards Akane with confusion in his eyes. He couldn't help but notice her rubbing her left arm nervously, quickly stopping upon noticing Shin's gaze.

""Wonderland"?"

Akane smiled, chuckling slightly. "It's just a stupid rumor's that's been going around." She then scanned the schoolyard, leading Shin forward. "Lately, some people have been having crazy nightmares involving this strange place...It's supposedly taking the form of their worst nightmares. It's become so common that people have started calling it "Wonderland" as a sort of irony. A misnomer if you will."

Shin cocked his head sideways in confusion. "...And...so people have been having nightmares? Maybe they're just drinking bad milk or something."

Akane shook her head. "That's not it. If it's just the strange nightmares, it would be one thing, but lately...people have been falling into comas."

"Comas?" Shin asked.

Akane nodded. "Yes. For some people, the nightmares seem to last a second, but for others...I've heard it becomes unbearable. Each and every night, the nightmares return, each one worst than the last. At some point, these people end up falling into comas for some reason that doctors can't explain. Then...they die of unknown causes. Some say..." Akane raised her hands into claw-like shapes above her head and sticking out her tongue. "THAT THEY'RE SCARED TO DEATH BY THEIR NIGHTMARES! BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!"

Akane chuckled to herself after settling down. "But it's all just bogus rum-" Akane paused upon noticing that her kouhai was no longer standing beside her. "Erm...Katsuragi-san?"

_"Up heeeere!"_

The red-haired girl turned to the direction of the flag pole in the center of the schoolyard, looking up to see a familiar, scarf-wearing boy...without pants.

Her eyes widened. "How...How did you get up there?!"

The flag pole shook slightly as the boy hugging onto it, trembling.

"S-Sorry! I got scared so bad that I jumped...No idea how I got up here though!" Shin screamed.

Akane sweatdropped. "And your pants?" She pointed to a pair of black uniform pants that laid abandoned on the ground, belt and all.

Shin looked down at his lower legs, as if having just noticed that he wasn't wearing any. He didn't seem very embarrassed.

"Huh. I knew I was feeling a bit of a draft!" He waved one hand at Akane. "Hey, Senpai! Could you pass those up to me?!"

Yet again, Akane sweatdropped, having realized that Shin was not only LITERALLY scared out of his pants, but also the fact he somehow jumped enough to end up at the top of the flag pole.

"..."

What a strange kouhai she had.

* * *

><p>One pair of pants later, Shin was back on the ground, standing in front of Akane with a curious expression on his face, serious as if the now-red-faced girl HAD NOT seen him in his underwear.<p>

:"So...Wonderland...is it real...?" Shin asked with curious interest in his eyes.

Akane hesitated for a moment before offering a simple shrug. "Don't know..." She then offered a small smile...Something about it felt fake to Shin though...Like she was hiding something...Or more like she was afraid.

"I don't know either, but it sounds so AWESOOOOOME!" Akane shrank away from Shin's sudden excitement and his apparently sparkling eyes, surprised. "It's like some kind of occult thing! Maybe it's some kind of vengeful spirit come back from the dead to take his revenge! Or maybe-MAYBE-it's like a demon who's trying to devour the souls of dreamers! Oooh! Oooh! Maybe it's some famous child serial killer who should've gone to Hell but somehow came back with the ability to manifest in the dreams of others and kill them inside of their dreams which kills them in real life! He could have a huge bladed glove and all burnt flesh and stuff!"

Akane covered her mouth, chuckling slightly. "You pretty much described Nightmare on Elm Street's main antagonist with that last one." She then stared at Shin with new-found interest. "But, you know, I never pegged a kid like you for an occult fanatic."

Shin grinned. "You kidding?! The occult stuff is usually the most AWESOME!" Shin then waved it off. "I know some people think it's kind of weird to believe in stuff like ghosts and demons, but I believe in them. So much phenomenon could be explained if we factored the occult into the equation. You remember the Tokyo Lockdown? They said it was poisunous gas that made people hallucinate, but I think there really WERE demons there!..." Shin then turned his gaze downward and kicked the dirt in front of him. "But nobody really gives it much of a second thought...they all think I'm crazy for believing in such things..."

"I don't."

"Eh?" Shin stared at Akane who had a slight smile on her face.

"I don't think you're crazy." Akane restated. "I'm actually into the occult and all that stuff. I don't usually show it off, but I really like magic and anything related to the occult. It's good to find a kindred spirit for once. If you want, I can even read your fortune with tarot cards if you want."

"No no. It's all good." Shin assured her. "I already got my fortune told by the nice, long-nosed magician who was with me in the large, blue Ferris Wheel cabin who told me that pain, misfortune, and near impossible trials lay in my future, so I'm all good."

Akane looked taken aback, scanning Shin's smiling face for any hint of a joke in that sentence.

"I-"

DING DONG! DONG DING!

Akane frowned, noting the warning bell. "Well, I guess we can pick up on this conversation la-"

She then noted that the junior boy she had been speaking to had completely vanished from the spot he had previously been standing in.

"SORRY, SENPAAAAAAI! I CAN'T BE LATE TODAY!" Shin called as he charged into the main school building. "SEE YOU LATEEEEER!"

Akane couldn't help but sweatdrop again as Shin completely left her sight.

"...Well...you gotta admit: The kid's got energy."

* * *

><p>Shigemura High School...Classroom 1-C...<p>

"And so, let us all allow our new transfer introduce himself." The teacher said in an almost bored tone, gesturing to Shin who stood on the right side of the teacher's desk which was closest to the door. Really though, Mr. Satou (for that was the teacher's name) possessed such a boring and hypnotic voice, as if purposefully attempting to lull Shin and every other student in the classroom to sleep.

Shin moved in front of the teacher's desk and raised one hand high into the air.

"O-HAY-OOOOOO, EVER-Y-BO-DYYYY~!" Shin shouted with immense cheer. "My name is Katsuragi Shin! I just moved here from the big city so it'll take me a bit longer to adjust since I wasn't here for the first few days!" Shin bowed. "So please take good care of me!"

Everyone stared at Shin, somewhat surprised by his huge expression of energy.

"Riiiiiight." Mr. Satou droned. "Anyway, considering Katsuragi-san's having just arrived, are there any open seats?"

There was a long silence...Then a hand went into the air.

There was no voice that accompanied it, but the hand waved somewhat nervously in the air.

"Ah...Yes, Nakamura-san?" The hand of the student who was hidden by the larger student in the desk in front of them turned and gestured to an empty seat right next to him/her. Mr. Satou turned to Shin and pointed at said seat. "Apparently there is an open seat next to Nakamura-san. He will be your neighbor for the remainder of this school year, so please become well-acquainted with him for the time being."

Shin bowed to Mr. Satou. "Yes, Satou-sensei." Shin then moved between the rows of desks, getting curious looks as he made his way to the seat next to the one identified as "Nakamura-san".

He sat down and turned to get a good look at his new neighbor.

He was an androgynous (and admittedly cute in Shin's opinion) young man standing (or rather SITTING) at 5'4", bearing white hair that covered his ears and neck and heterochromic eyes, the left one being green and the right one being a dark-purple color. He wore the usual student uniform except he also wore a black hoodie over his student blazer.

Shin extended his hand to Nakamura-san. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for letting me sit here."

Nakamura-san looked down and stared at Shin's hand and then up at Shin's face again, smiling somewhat uncomfortably and awkwardly.

Shin cocked his head sideways in confusion. "Erm...Hello?"

"Kagu-tan doesn't talk, dumbass. Especially not to fresh meat like you." The rude person who just spoke sat behind the person they referred to as "Kagu-tan".

The student had brown hair, green eyes, and a noticeably athletic build, possessing a thin scar running across his left arm. He also wore the normal student uniform of Shigemura High School except for a black beanie he wore casually on his head despite the fact they were indoors.

The student shot Shin a dirty look upon noticing his gaze. "What the Hell do you want, dumbass?"

Shin shrank away from the student, somewhat off-put by his rude demeanor.

"Well, first off, both of your names, yours so I can tell your mother what a foul mouth you have."

The student glared at Shin. "How about I-?!"

He stopped when "Kagu-tan" turned around and gave the student a harsh frown that was clearly meant to scold him.

The student clicked his tongue. "Fine. Takamura Kenji." He jabbed his thumb at "Kagu-tan". "And that's my best bud, Kaguya."

Shin smiled. "Nice to meet you, Kaguya-kun! Kenji-kun!"

Kenji's eye twitched. "When did I say you could act all friendly with me?"

Shin grinned. "Well, it's like Haru-nee told me: Strangers are simply friends you haven't met yet. So that makes us official friends now!"

There was a pause.

"No."

That one syllable felt like a slap to the face to Shin.

Kaguya pouted at Kenji who turned away, apparently annoyed with the whole situation, before turning to Shin and smiling apologetically.

He had an expression that meant something along the lines of "I-It's nice to meet you."

"Aha! Nice to meet you, too, Kaguya-kun!"

Before further words could be exchanged, Mr. Satou dropped a book on his desk.

"Settle down now. The lesson's about to begin, so become silent, students."

With that, the class was silent...

"Now then. Let us have Katsuragi-san catch up to us...Let's see, what have we gone over as of..."

And the rest of class became a shapeless blur for Shin...

* * *

><p>DING DONG! DONG DING!<p>

Shin's head shot up from his desk as he awoke from the nap he took during class.

"Oh...it's over?"

"Yeah, dumbass." Kenji said rudely, standing from his desk to leave. "You slept through the entire school day."

Shin rubbed the back of his neck, sticking out his tongue as he grinned.

Kenji rolled his eyes before turning to Kaguya. "Come on, Kagu-tan. We can walk home together."

Kaguya paid Shin another apologetic glance before nodding to Kenji. He waved shyly goodbye to Shin before following Kenji who began to walk out the door.

Shin stared as they left. "They are certainly an interesting duo." He then threw up one defiant fist. "I swear on the name of Katsuragi that, before the end of the school year, I will become their friend!"

"Hey, Katsuragi-san."

"EEK!" Shin once again almost jumped out of his pants at the sudden appearance of a new voice beside him.

He turned to face Akane who was smiling slightly at Shin's reaction.

"S-Senpai!" Shin smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I tend to be easily frightened when it's sudden like that."

"Ah." Akane said, so many things up to that point now making sense.

"Anyway, what are you doing here, Yukimura-senpai?" Shin asked.

Akane placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I figured since we live next door to each other now, we could walk home together. It also might be fun for us to talk more." She said. "Considering the fact you almost got lost on the way to school, it'd probably be easier on my conscience to not hear about a missing kid with a scarf in the news who got lost on the way home."

Shin grinned. "Hehe! Good point!" He then frowned. "But that armband of yours says you're a member of the Student Council...Don't you have some kind of Student Council duty to take care of?"

Akane shook her head. "No. We're not meeting today so I'm in the clear for now, so there's no problem with me walking home with you today."

Shin started smiling again. "Oh! That's good then! I'll just get my stuff and we can go then, Senpai!"

* * *

><p>Shin walked by his senpai's side as the two made their way home together.<p>

"So, how did you do for your first day, Katsuragi-san?" Akane asked.

Shin smiled. "It wasn't too bad. I didn't pay a bit of attention to the lesson, but I met this nice guy, Kaguya Nakamura, and this not-so-nice guy, Kenji Takamura."

"Ah. Ken-kun." Akane crossed her arms, nodding her head.

""Ken-kun"?" Shin questioned.

"Yeah." Akane replied. "I knew him back in middle school. He was a pretty nice kid when he was younger, but nowadays, he's kind of..."

"Mean?"

Akane shook her head. "No. It's more like...he's just not comfortable around new faces. I think Kaguya-kun's the only person he's ever been open around since he entered high school."

"Hmm...Then I plan to be the second!" Shin proclaimed with his left index finger pointed towards the sky. "I swear by the name of Katsuragi!"

"Hehe." Akane chuckled. "You are one weird kid, Katsuragi."

Shin stuck out his tongue.

He was about to reply when-

WHEEEEEEE-YOOOOOOOOOOO!

Shin and Akane tensed at the sound of the siren of an ambulance.

A powerful gust blew the two teens' hair about wildly as the ambulance zoomed by, no doubt carrying someone due to the incredible speed it was moving at.

Akane watched with a strange look in her eyes. Shin couldn't figure it out. It wasn't curiosity or fear or sorrow.

It was more like reluctant acceptance.

"That makes two in one day..."

Shin blinked. "Hm? What was that Senpai?"

Akane jumped slightly, as if having been snapped out of some sort of trance.

She placed a hand on the side of her face, sighing. "Nothing. I'm just talking about how Wonderland has claimed a second victim today."

"Couldn't it just be a heart attack or something common like that?" Shin asked. "I mean...just because an ambulance rolls by doesn't mean it's something to do with those coma victims."

Akane shook her head. "You just moved here, so you're not adjusted to this sort of thing, but in Aomura, this IS common." Akane rubbed her arms, as if trying to rid herself of some kind of chill. "Nightmares...comas...that's the norm here. It's rare that a day goes by where you don't hear of someone experiencing nightmares or falling into comas. Each passing week is always cursed with the sound of at least one siren."

"Whoa...Sounds depressing." Shin noted, sticking out his tongue slightly.

"Yeah..." Akane said, her voice sounding distant.

Shin did not miss this. "Something bothering you, Senpai?"

Akane blinked once before shaking her head. "No. I...I'm fine." She then pointed ahead. "Anyway, we're here. That's your house, isn't it?"

Shin looked to where his senpai had pointed and nodded, grinning. "Yeah! It's been fun, Senpai! Let's also walk to school tomorrow! Pleeeeeaaaase~?"

"Pfft." Akane resisted the urge to laugh upon seeing her kouhai's adorable face, his eyes big and watering. "Alright. Alright. Sure."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Shin threw his fists up into the air as he ran towards his house. "SEE YOU TOMORROW, SENPAAAAAAAIIII!"

Akane waved goodbye, managing a smile until her kouhai entered his own house.

Then her smile dropped.

She sighed. "Two tragedies and an interesting encounter...Just like the cards said." She shook her head. "That's the one thing I hate about the occult...Whenever it's right, nothing but misfortune befalls some poor bastard...in this case, the bastard being me...If the last card is right...then it's almost time..."

* * *

><p>Shin stretched his arms above his head, yawning as he smelled the familiar scent of food.<p>

Not just any food.

Food cooked by Haru Katsuragi.

Shin started drooling slightly. "That smells amazing, Haru-nee!"

Shin made his way into the living room where the set table held almost an entire banquet-worth of food.

Haru stepped out from the kitchen which was adjoined to the living room, wearing a white sweater and black sweatpants, all of this under a pink apron with hearts on it which was wrapped around her frontside. She carried in both hands a pan or pot that held some sort of yumminess.

"Ah~! Welcome home, Shin-tan~!" Haru made the foolish mistake of waving the hand carrying a pot of hot soup, causing much of its contents to splash into the air...and land on her head.

There was a moment of silence before Haru's face lit up like a thermometer as her body registered the heat from the previously boiling soup.

"IT'S HOOOOOOOT!"

Haru started running about, flailing her arms like a mad woman, doing the classical stop-drop-and-roll in a comical fashion.

Shin knew she was exaggerating. Haru tended to do such things for comical effect. She's fallen off the roof, fallen off the stairs, fallen off the diving board at the pool, falling off-

When he thought about it, Shin realized that Haru seemed to have a lot of accidents concerning falling.

Regardless, she always ended up being fine. She seemed to be protected by the divine god of comedy.

"Hehehe." Shin chuckled, somewhat amused.

That was when a sudden wave of nausea overwhelmed him.

Shin almost fell forward from the suddenness of the wave.

_Wha-?_

"Eh?! Are you alright, Shin-tan?!" Haru asked, her expression filled with worry.

_...take...my...hand..._

_What?_

Shin tensed at the sudden voice in his head that caused a splitting headache.

_...Thou art I...I art thou...Do not fear..._

"GAAAH! I HAVE VOICES IN MY HEEEEAAAAD!"

Shin screamed, incredibly freaked out by the sudden occurrence.

He started hitting his head comically before he crossed his two index fingers into the shape of a cross. "BEGONE, DEMON! THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!"

"Ah...Shin-tan?"

Shin paused, realizing he had been speaking aloud. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, trying to ignore the large amount of sweat dripping off of his body or the sudden exhaustion he felt.

"Err-I mean...Nothing! Hahahahaha!" Shin didn't want to make Haru think he was crazy over something that could easily be exhaustion. "I...I think I might head to bed early tonight, hehehehe!"

Shin then turned around and walked to the staircase before walking up to his bedroom...

He came back down several seconds later, passing by the table, grabbing a plate, and filling it with a mountain of various foods cooked by Haru for their meal.

"I'm still hungry though..."

Shin once again turned and silently walked up to his room before shutting the door.

* * *

><p>An hour later after Shin finished DEVOURING the food cooked by Haru, he spent the rest of the day and night tossing and turning in his bed, the feeling of nausea chasing him...even in his dreams...<p>

Or perhaps..."Nightmares" would be the more appropriate term.

...or maybe memories...For Shin, it was a strange combination of both. It was like a memory warped by darkness, becoming a terrible nightmare...but it wasn't his own...

* * *

><p><em>A girl...<em>

_She held so much pain..._

_Why...why does this happen...?_

_Bang...Bang...Bang... Those three noises resounded in Shin's ears over and over again._

_The girl...she was bleeding..._

_Her wrists...Her wrists were bleeding... She had no choice. Her pain...his pain..._

_She had no choice..._

_She didn't want to..._

_"Mommy...Daddy... He won't stop bleeding!..."_

_Then a resounding and bloodcurdling scream filled the darkness, followed by those incredibly haunting sounds..._

_Bang...Bang...Bang..._

* * *

><p>Then Shin was moving forward...at an incredibly fast pace.<p>

The only thing he was able to make out was a marble, checkerboard-colored floor...

He saw a large, blue-colored door open before he was thrown through.

Despite the fact he was thrown through the door, Shin somehow ended up sitting in a familiar chair in a familiar room with no movement whatsoever.

"It's nice to see you again." A familiar, long-nosed magician greeted.

"Oh! Good to see you again, too, Igor-saaaaan!" Shin greeted cheerfully. He then realized they weren't alone.

There was a new piece of furniture in the room. A velvet blue couch.

On said couch laid a teen just about Shin's age.

He was about average height and weight and had messy, dark-green hair. He wore a white, long-sleeved shirt under an unbuttoned dress shirt along with black pants. Shin couldn't be sure, but he had the faint suspicion that the boy was glaring at him with those narrowed yellow and wolf-like eyes of his.

"Ermmm..." Shin raised a hand. "First off, who's that guy?" Shin pointed at the new arrival to the Velvet Room. "Second...I just had this weird dream..."

"Ah yes. It's only natural one would have questions after the events that took place before your eyes." Igor agreed. "But perhaps the easier question would be introducing our...'unique' guest." Igor then gestured to the boy laying on the couch. Clearly it was a gesture for the boy to introduce himself.

The boy closed his eyes, thinking.

"...Akumu..." He said after several minutes of silence. "Yeah...That's my name... Since that younger, white-haired bitch left to try and find a way to free her boyfriend from a hunk of stone, I'm taking over as Igor's assistant for a bit. Maybe not even long enough to make a difference since what-that-person's-name is coming to take over."

Then Shin couldn't help but notice a sudden pressure fill the area. It was immense and very, VERY angry.

Shin suddenly felt very afraid while Akumu barely blinked at the pressure which Shin could tell emanated from Igor.

"Now...Akumu...I would _appreciate it_ if you paid my former assistant her due respect." Shin noted the anger in Igor's voice at Akumu's insult towards the person who was apparently his previous assistant...and a hint of sadness. Whoever it was, Igor must've held a sort of familial care for her.

Akumu clicked his tongue. "Tch. Whatever..." But there was a slight trembling in his voice...

He had been more afraid than he late on.

"And yes..." Igor stated. "Due to the sudden and surprising departure of my previous assistant, Akumu will temporarily be taking over her duties despite being another unique guest. As he is meant to be an aid in your journey anyway, it is only fitting since he DOES possess the ability to fulfill the role until another can take her place. I am very sorry for this inconvenience, but I assure you there will be a proper introduction between you and my new assistant next time."

Shin waved Igor's apology off. "Neh! It's cool! Sorry you lost your assistant, Igor-san."

Igor nodded wordlessly.

"But I can't wait to meet your new one! I'm sure he or she will be an incredibly nice person like you!" Shin sincerely hoped that the assistant whom Igor appeared to care for was alright wherever she was. "Anyway...let's see...how to put this...WHAT THE HELL WAS UP WITH THAT CRAZY DREEEEEEEAAAAAAM!?"

Shin's scream filled the entire room as his previous shock finally caught up to him.

Akumu sat up, glaring at Shin as he covered his ears. "Geez...I can already tell that my stay here is gonna suck if this is the guy I have to put up with."

Igor ignored Akumu and faced Shin. "Ah yes...Perhaps it would be best to describe that dream, or rather, "vision" you saw was from your connection to _that realm_. It occurred due to your sudden connection with your own psyche. Very soon, your true potential will awaken and you will reveal your mask that will protect you from many hardships. That is when your true trial will begin..."

Shin stared. "...Wanna try that again?"

"Tch. The old man's pretty much saying that you've become connected to an alternate realm because you're starting to awaken your power. Your true journey's going to begin soon..." Akumu's voice trailed off, as if he was trying to remember something he had forgotten. "Oh yeah." He pulled something from his pocket...TWO somethings actually.

Keys.

"Catch!" Without much caution, Akumu tossed the keys to Shin who leaped out of the chair, fumbling for a second before he managed to catch the keys.

Shin was finally able to further examine the two keys.

One was a golden key with a black and white mask image on the back end of the key. The other had a rather unique shape.

Like the first key, it was golden, but this one took the form of an admittedly cute and tiny sword. It was a sort of medieval sword and had two teeth at the end.

Akumu sat up and leaned back against the couch he had been sleeping against.

"The first key, the Contractor's Key, is what will allow you to return here of your own free will next time." Akumu explained. "The second..." Then the corners of his mouth curled upwards into a sneaky smirk. "...well that one's a secret."

Shin pouted. "That's not fair! You'll tell me what one does, but not the other?"

Akumu shrugged. "I COULD tell you what it did, but there wouldn't be any fun in it." He then noted a small glance from Igor. "But I WILL tell you one thing: It's purpose will become clear once the time for your power to awaken arrives...which will be very, VERY soon...so be sure not to lose that key because I AM NOT replacing it, got it?"

Shin, still confused, nodded. Then something occurred to him. "Wait...What use are these in the real world? I mean, it's not like it'll appear in my pocket or anything. How can I take something from inside of a dream outside into the real world? It doesn't make any sense for such a thing to happen...UNLESS..." A sudden grin broke across Shin's face. "OH! This really IS one of those occult dreams! YAY! The first time I thought that it was just a crazy dream, but if it's happening more than once, then it HAS TO be occult! Oh wow! I can't believe I'm really experiencing the supernatural! THIS IS SO AWESOOOOOME!"

Akumu's eye twitched.

He stood up as Shin continued chattering about various topics related to the occult that had nothing to do with the previous topic.

Akumu then grabbed the oblivious Shin by the collar and calmly dragged him back over to the door from whence he had come.

"Oh, and-"

Akumu then shoved Shin through the door and shut it with a loud slam.

"Well...that's taken care of." Akumu stated. He then smirked, turning back to Igor. "He's an annoying chatterbox, but even I can tell that he's got an interesting destiny."

Igor clasped his hands together, resting his forehead gently against them, a pensive expression on his face.

"Indeed...How his story unfolds will depend entirely on the actions he takes...What path will he take, I wonder?"

* * *

><p>Shin shot up from his bed. Instinctively, he reached into his pants pocket and, sure enough, he felt two long pieces of metal.<p>

Shin's eyes widened. "Ho-ly crap."

He threw his fists into the air. "OCCULT DREAMS ARE SO AWESOOOOOOOOME!"

While Shin was excited, he was mostly confused about what it all meant...

Little did Shin know, fate was quickly rushing forward to meet him...

Everything would soon be connected...

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And with that, the chapter is finished! Thank you to those of you who have submitted OC's thus far. I hope I portrayed them to your liking!

Also, I still need five more OC's. The format's on my profile page! I really need more female characters!

Also...Yes. I did reference Persona 3. That will be the only real reference as I'm making this about around the time where Elizabeth left the Velvet Room to find a way to free the P3 protagonist from the Great Seal.

Thanks for the reads and reviews!

Say-o-na-raaaaaaaa~!


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